The Philadelphia Science Festival is a citywide collaboration April 15-28 showcasing the impact of science and technology past, present and future.

The Philadelphia Science Festival, the city’s first foray into a comprehensive celebration and collaboration that reaches the scientist in all of us, kicked off Friday, April 15th and runs through Thursday, April 28th. There will be dozens of a broad range, and mostly free, events spread out across the city.

In answer to President Obama’s call for action to “out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” the Festival brings together more than 100 organizations of varying sizes and missions for an unprecedented collaboration – resulting in a truly Philadelphia-wide event fueled by the best scientific and educational resources the region has to offer.

For two weeks, the Festival will showcase how vital science and technology are to everyday life with an ambitious range of programs designed to engage and intrigue. Presented by The Dow Chemical Company and organized by The Franklin Institute with a grant from The National Science Foundation, the Festival is part of a national movement to make science hands-on and accessible. It builds on the city’s rich history of originality and invention with dozens of free events at museums, schools, libraries and even street corners and concert halls.

Be sure to follow the Philadelphia Science Festival on Facebook and Twitter

In addition, The Festival will include a series of Science Cafés, food-science events with partners like Yards Brewery, Philadelphia City Food Tours and the Kite & Key. A “sampling” of those events includes:

“Flavor Tripping:” The Magical Miracle Berry
Monday, April 18, 6pm | Continental Restaurant
SOLD OUT
One little red berry can change everything. Pop one of these miracle fruits into your mouth and lemons become sweet and chocolate, well, doesn’t taste anything like chocolate. Before you experiment, you’ll learn about how we taste and what is behind these unexpected sensations. Reservation required. ($)
COLLABORATORS: MONELL CENTER, LA SALLE UNIVERSITY, STARR RESTAURANTS

Melting Moments of Delight: The Science of Chocolate
Friday, April 22, 6pm | Artisserie Chocolate Cafe
SOLD OUT
What makes the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree so darn good? Learn how it’s converted into chocolate while you savor free samples with cocoa scientists from Mars, Incorporated and taste experts from the Monell Center.
COLLABORATORS: MONELL CENTER, MARS, INCORPORATED

From Hops to Stein: The Science of Beer
Saturday, April 23, 7pm | Yards Brewery
Discover the magic behind brewing and the ways in which our taste buds and noses (yes, noses!) process these sudsy delights. While you’re here, quaff a pint of the specially-brewed, limited-edition Philadelphia Science Festival Beer. Ticket Required
Tickets are $20. Click here to purchase tickets on tickeleap.com.
COLLABORATORS: THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, YARDS, MONELL CENTER, TWO GUYS ON BEER

There will also be a series of Neighborhood Science events offered at more than 50 community centers, parks, gardens and Free Library branches across the region; and joint programming with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), such as the Philadelphia debut of a modern dance piece called “The Perfect Flower” on April 25. The “jumping off” point for the Festival is a stunt called The Big Jump, where students across Philadelphia will simultaneously jump at 11am on Friday, April 15 to see if their combined effort can generate a seismic event. It is followed the next day by a free Science Carnival on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in conjunction with the Philadelphia Book Festival’s Street Fair.